Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
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MOTHER’S DAY MAY 14 MOST SPECIAL OF ALL To me one of the most special days of the year is Mother’s Day. For most of us there is no more special person in our lives than the one who brought us here, nursed us through our baby years and molded us into adulthood. Through thick and thin our moms can always be counted on to build a comfort zone around each individual child, often cushioning the tough blows of life. If you are fortunate to still have your Mom, count your blessings....
For this gardener, the physical act of gardening, within moments relinquishes burden of daily life and its challenges; a hectic schedule, pursuing a career, managing a farm and ‘juggling’ cumbersome people (not literally-though the thought has crossed my mind). Gardening for me is an outlet & provides me with the ability to transcend the uniformity of modern life, providing an easily accessible escape route (a personal reset). Gardening satisfies a primal urge and allows me...
Gardeners, this week we are discussing Asian Citrus Greening and Citrus Canker and how we can recognize each of the two citrus diseases. There are numerous plant diseases that may attack citrus trees, but in our area of SETX most notably are Asian citrus greening and citrus canker. The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) and US Department of Agriculture (USDA) have allotted sizable resources and undertaken massive efforts to control the spread of both these devastating...
KING CHARLES CORONATION TO BE HELD King Charles III's coronation ceremony on May 6 will be a historic event watched by millions of people around the world, but witnessed in person by only a number of handpicked guests, members of the royal family, foreign dignitaries, politicians and even some members of the public. At the last coronation of a British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II's in 1953, about 8,000 people crowded into the abbey to witness the ceremony. The late queen's son...
May is here which means we only have a month left in this Legislative session. Deadlines are looming for bills to reach certain benchmarks. It’s a race to the finish! Here are five things happening around your state: 1. Bill moving SFA to UT-System passes House, going to Governor This week, Senate Bill 1055 passed the House unanimously, 148-0, with even Speaker Phelan voting for the bill (the Speaker typically votes ‘present not voting’ on most bills in the chamber). I appre...
Around our house while I was growing up unionization was considered almost at the level of religion. My dad, a 40-year refinery worker, saw unions as the route to a better life and a way to better living conditions. He saw this firsthand as a seventeen-year-old refinery hand. Labor conditions in the 20s included approximate $.25 per hour wages, little or no concentration on safe workplaces, and little or no respect of workers by those paying these minimum wages. There was no...
ENTERGY BREAKS GROUND AT BRIDGE CITY The ground breaking Monday of Entergy’s newest facility at Bridge City kicked off what is expected to be the biggest economic boom in Orange County since WWII. Gov. Greg Abbott, government and county officials took part in the ceremony. Even though the new plant, like the old one, is in Orange County, it is in the city of Port Arthur. The plant however is in the Bridge City school district. The project is estimated to be complete in 2...
Gardeners, unfortunately most of us are pressed for time and due to our time constraints, we tend to shop for everything hurriedly! Many of us shop for plants in the same manner, quickly, without regard to the plant label instructions (planting instructions listed on the reverse side of the label-though instructions are vague at best). For most annual bedding plants, perennials, herbs, vegetables, shrubs, and trees it isn't a huge issue and can often be managed simply by...
April 21 was San Jacinto Day in Texas, which celebrates the final battle of the Texas Revolution in 1836 when Texas won its independence from Mexico. The battle was fought in present-day La Porte, Texas and lasted just 18 minutes before General Sam Houston defeated General Santa Anna’s Mexican army. Here are five things happening around your state: 1. Beaumont, Orange County award General Land Office grants Last week the General Land Office announced awards in the Beaumont a...
DOMINION/FOX PROCEEDINGS SETTLED Fox News has disputed the damages it may have to pay if the company is found liable in a highly anticipated defamation trial over the spread of misinformation after the 2020 presidential election. Late Sunday, Judge Eric M. Davis said the proceedings would continue on Tuesday. Dominion Voting Systems, which brought the suit against Fox set the financial penalty in the case at $1.6 billion. A dispute over that number erupted after Fox...
There are only 39 days left in the Legislative session and it certainly shows. The days at the Capitol are getting longer and bills are making their way through the process. Here are five things happening around your state: 1. Broadband grant applications due in May The Comptroller's Office is now accepting grant applications to the Bringing Online Opportunities to Texas (BOOT) program, which focuses on funding broadband infrastructure projects. The state was allocated $363.8...
As a longtime church goer from the time I could walk and follow my mother around, I have decided there is ample hypocrisy in our churches to the point that we don’t necessarily need more, especially in the field of political leadership. Hypocrisy of course is simply advocating one thing and doing the opposite. Unfortunately, we the voters of the United States are letting too many politicians get by with doing what they claim should not be done, particularly in the area of m...
Gardeners, today's discussion is defining Integrated Pest Management (IPM), which is a comprehensive approach to managing garden pests which include pathogens, insects, nematodes, mites, weeds, and numerous other pests utilizing science-based practices and techniques. While researching this topic, I reviewed the US Environmental Protection Agency's website, and according to the USEPA, "Integrated Pest Management is an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest...
IT'S RODEO TIME-GO WESTERN There is no athlete like the professional rodeo cowboy. Their livelihood is based strictly on their own talent. They will drive thousands of miles, hauling their own rigs from show to show, hoping their performance puts them in the money. They often come up snake eyes. The cowboy just moves on to the next show where he hopes to have a winning performance. The rodeo cowboy often wakes up with aches and pains, feeling lucky that nothing was broken...
I hope you can still take the time to reflect on the meaning of Easter and the miracle of the Resurrection. From my family to yours, hope you had a blessed and happy Easter. Here are five things happening around your state: 1. School safety bill heard in committee This week Senate Bill 11 was heard in the Senate Education Committee. I authored Senate Bill 11 based on the recommendations on school safety that came out of the committee I chaired in the interim, the Special Commi...
A reader recently asked me to write about bonsai tree requirements, but more specifically, how to keep bonsai trees alive during the seasons. Let's begin with a brief history of Bonsai which in Japanese literally translated means, 'planted in a container' and is an ancient art form from Japan, though its origin is traced to China. Bonsai specifically refers to a type of container the tree grows in, such as a small clay pot, wooden board, or flat stone. The 'art of bonsai' is p...
For the last few days the press has had a lot to say about three members of the Tennessee Legislature being expelled by their fellow members. Allegedly the reason for their expulsion was that they had severely damaged the decorum of that august body. What they, in fact, did was enter the chamber using a bullhorn in an attempt to get the attention of the Speaker. During my fourteen year tenure in the Texas House there was more than one occasion that detracted from the decorum...
HOLY WEEK-- SPECIAL TIME FOR CHRISTIANS Well, it’s come on Easter week. Come Sunday, 40 days of Lent would have flown by. Everyone else who gave up something for Lent will be able to indulge again. The annual Easter cold snap came in a few days early but the wind will move to the south Thursday, with rain and cooler weather after that. The full moon arriving, it will be just the right time to get a garden planted. I hope the Easter bunny comes by your place and deposits a l...
Let’s discuss turfgrass weed management! Before you start rolling your eyes, and thinking to yourself, blah, blah, blah…boring, just know that beautiful, healthy, weed-free, and well-manicured lawns don’t occur by accident! They require each of us to learn about and understand specifics about the turf grasses in our lawn, types of weeds present, and creating a systematic approach to maintain a healthy, weed-free lawn, in an environmentally friendly way. When performed corre...
As we move into our late 70s and 80s, one of the few pleasures left for us is memories. I am told that we all have a tendency to remember things in the past as being truly better than they were. There is always a lot of talk of “the good ole’ days” in speaking of the past. In actuality we are living better today than any generation before us. Still, all-in-all, it is pleasurable to scroll through what we call “the good ole’ days.” One good measuring stick of how many things...
My five cents… We have passed the halfway point in session this week, but most of the work is before us. It is full speed ahead for the next two months until Memorial Day. Here are five things happening around your state: 1. Bill establishing rural law enforcement fund passes Senate Senate Bill 22 by Senator Drew Springer passed the Senate this week. The bill would establish a grant program to provide financial assistance to sheriff’s departments and prosecutor’s offices in co...
FIREARMS NUMBER ONE KILLER OF CHILDREN The killer in a Nashville school shooting on Monday had drawn a detailed map of the school, including potential entry points, and conducted surveillance before killing three students and three adults in the latest in a series of mass shootings in a country growing increasingly unnerved by bloodshed in schools. The suspect, who was killed by police, is believed to be a former student at The Covenant School in Nashville. The shooter was...
Fortunately our forefathers had the wisdom to guarantee certain freedoms in our constitution. The freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, freedom to participate in government and the freedom of speech – both spoken and written. All of these are freedoms which should be jealously protected. A student of history knows well that curtailing what citizens can say, read or express in writing is a precursor to a domineering type government. The same was true of the German Nazis, I...
One hundred years ago this week, Lamar University in Beaumont originated as South Park Junior College when the Beaumont ISD superintendent sought to develop plans for a junior college. Later that year, the institution’s doors opened, and the name was changed to Lamar College and later Lamar University. I’m a proud alumnus of Lamar University! Here are five things happening around your state: 1. Property tax relief passes Senate This week the Senate passed Senate Bills 3, 4,...
Gardeners, spring is here, newly arrived and what a welcome respite, as winter 'seemed' to linger much too long! This week's discussion, if you haven't already done so, is what I call the Great Migration! Yes, that means it's time to relocate, houseplants from indoors to outdoor areas, which are protected from the blistering sun. Before moving houseplants outdoors, closely inspect each plant for powdery mildew, mites, white flies, and other pests which have decided to...
